Peru President Signs Medical Cannabis Bill Into Law

A bill legalizing medicalcannabis oil has been signed into law by Peru President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski.

Peru’s flag.

President Kuczynski’s signing of the bill comes roughly a month after Peru’s Congress gave overwhelming approval to the measure with a vote of 68 to 5. The new law allows cannabis oil to be legally produced, imported and sold for throughout the South American country.

Passage of the new law comes with widespread support among Peru residents; a recent Ipsos poll found that 65% support legalizing cannabis for medical purposes. According to Alberty Belaunde, a lawmaker in the ruling party who supported the measure, regulations for producing and commercializing cannabis oil will be written within 60 days.

Peru now joins several of its Latin American neighbors who have also legalized cannabis for medical purposes, including Mexico, Chile and Colombia.

Anthony, co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of TheJointBlog, has worked closely with numerous elected officials who support cannabis law reform, including as the former Campaign Manager for Washington State Representative Dave Upthegrove. He has also been published by multiple media outlets, including the Seattle Times. He can be reached at TheJointBlog@TheJointBlog.com.